Now Is the Time to Get Ready to Dress to the 1999s

News anchor Kelly Mack isn’t sure what she’s doing this New Year’s Eve. Should newsworthy Y2K problems occur, she may even have to work. But she’s flipping through catalogs looking for the perfect outfit for come what may.

“If I go out, I definitely want to wear something that I think is fabulous,” said the KNBC-TV 6 p.m. anchor.

She’s not the only one. More people are shopping earlier this year, searching for that perfect outfit, even if they don’t have a party invitation or date yet.

After all, how many times can you ring in the next 1,000 years?

The fashion forecast for New Year’s Eve is festive, colorful and decorative.

Evening separates are big this holiday season--there are twin sets, halter tops and blouses to mix and match with ball skirts and slinky pants.

And even for the most subdued of outfits, wild accessories are readily available. High-heeled sandals in brilliant colors and flat slippers with beads and feathers are the hot shoes in the stores this season, according to June Rau, fashion director for Nordstrom in California and Arizona.

This year’s historic New Year’s Eve has prompted retailers from department stores to boutiques to pack their stores with an unusually wide array of evening wear.

“The great thing about this year is the manufacturers and designers really stepped up to the plate,” said Nathan Laffin, fashion director for dresses for Macy’s West. He expects the selection of holiday wear at Macy’s to be “robust” through most of December.

“The prognosis is it’s going to be a huge, huge evening wear retail season,” said Les Appel, president and CEO of Andrea Polizzi for Rex Lester, an evening-wear line for women.

The women’s wear manufacturer said department stores have ordered at least a third more end-of-the-year orders in evening merchandise. In November, the shipment is usually made up of resort wear or early spring items. This month, it will consist of evening and special occasion wear.

“I’ve never had so much November business on the books,” said Appel, who has been in business for 10 years.

“Our apparel sales have been incredible this year; we’re running 30% over last year,” said John Schulman, director of Giorgio Beverly Hills. “There is a huge interest in people wanting a special outfit.”

Even though store operators have stocked up, the brisk pace of early sales may result in disappointment for those who put off shopping. Wait until December and the holiday selection may well be picked over.

“We expected this New Year’s to have an impact--the once-in-a-lifetime [aspect],” said Laffin at Macy’s West. Because of that, he advised, “if it’s something that you can’t live without, it’s best to buy it when you see it. That’s a lesson you really only have to learn once.”

Even those who plan to stay home apparently intend to dress up.

“I’ve asked a lot of customers who are a little skeptical [of going out] because of the Y2K thing. They still want something special,” said Maria Atanasio, owner of the 818Freight stores in Sherman Oaks and Woodland Hills. “It’s a special New Year’s.”

Customers are going to more parties than in other years, and mixing evening separates is the easiest way to extend a holiday wardrobe.

At 818Freight, ball skirts and bustiers are selling out.

“Black is not the easiest color to sell for me,” Atanasio said. What is selling are reds, wines, burgundy, olive green “and lots of beading.”

Women are asking for wild colors at Giorgio as well, according to Schulman, but they are not as interested in separates. Instead, they want one-of-a-kind outfits in novelty fabrics, a trend seen on the latest runways--”fabrics treated with silicone, burnouts, exotic fabrics . . . velvet that’s been treated with acid and then painted. Price has not been a concern.”

He promises such customers he won’t sell the same outfit to someone else in the same town. “There is a huge interest in people wanting a special outfit.”

Mack, the TV anchor, for one, is ready to dress up. If she’s on air, she’ll be appropriate and dignified in her anchor’s blazer.

If not, she’ll be kicking up her heels in a short, fun outfit, not some formal ball gown. “It’s hard to dance and have fun in that.”

Barbara Thomas can be reached by e-mail at barbara.thomas@latimes.com.